A portable computer system with universal serial bus (USB) port or ports and a method for controlling power of the universal serial bus (USB) port is described. When the main power of the portable computer system is supplied from a battery rather than an alternating current (AC) adapter, the power of the universal serial bus (USB) port is automatically shut down. In addition, the power of the universal serial bus (USB ) port is completely shut down while the universal serial bus (USB) port is not used in response to a setting state of the universal serial bus (USB) port, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption. Further, when an over-current is detected from the alternating current (AC) adapter or the battery, the power of the universal serial bus (USB) port is shut down, whereby damage to peripheral devices coupled to the universal serial bus (USB) port can be prevented.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A portable computer system, comprising: a universal serial bus (USB) port that is selectively supplied power from any one of an alternating current (AC) adapter and a battery; detection means for detecting whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system to supply power and generating a detection signal indicating a detected result as to whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system to supply power; storing means for storing one of enabled state and a disabled state as a state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; over-current detection means for any one of generating an over-current detection signal and shutting down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port when detecting an over-current from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery; control means for generating a first control signal in response to the detection signal and the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port and generating a second control signal in response to the over-current detection signal, so as to selectively supply power and shut down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port; and switching means for selectively supplying power and shutting down the power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to any one of the first control signal and the second control signal.
2. The portable computer system of claim 1 , further comprised of the detection means comprising: a plurality of resistors; a transistor for generating the detection signal to indicate whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system, the transistor being coupled to the plurality of resistors; and a tristate buffer for receiving and transmitting the detection signal to the control means.
3. The portable computer system of claim 1 , further comprised of the detection means comprising: a plurality of resistors; a transistor for generating the detection signal to indicate whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system, the transistor being coupled to the plurality of resistors; and a microcontroller for receiving the detection signal and selectively generating an interrupt signal to the control means.
4. The portable computer system of claim 1 , further comprised of the storing means including a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) random access memory (RAM).
5. The portable computer system of claim 1 , further comprised of the control means comprising: an input/output (I/O) register for receiving switching data and outputting the switching data as the first control signal so as to selectively shut down and supply power to the universal serial bus (USB) port; a central processing unit (CPU) for generating an address and control signals so as to read out the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port from the storing means and write the switching data to the input/output (I/O) register in response to the detection signal and the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; decoding means for enabling the detection means and generating a clock signal to the input/output (I/O) register in response to the address and the control signals from the central processing unit (CPU); and a universal serial bus (USB) controller for generating the second control signal in response to the over-current detection signal from the over-current detection means.
6. The portable computer system of claim 1 , further comprised of the over-current detection means comprising an over-current protection circuit for generating the over-current detection signal, when the over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery.
7. The portable computer system of claim 1 , further comprised of the over-current detection means comprising an over-current protection device including a fuse for shutting down the power to the universal serial bus (USB) port, when the over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery.
8. A portable computer system, comprising: a universal serial bus (USB) port that is selectively supplied power from any one of an alternating current (AC) adapter and a battery; detection means for detecting whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system to supply power and generating a detection signal indicating a detected result as to whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system to supply power; over-current detection means for any one of generating an over-current detection signal and shutting down power supplied to the universal bus (USB) port when detecting an over-current from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery; control means for generating a first control signal in response to the detection signal and generating a second control signal in response to the over-current detection signal, so as to selectively supply power and shut down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port; and switching means for selectively supplying power and shutting down the power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to any one of the first control signal and the second control signal.
9. The portable computer system of claim 8 , further comprised of the detection means comprising: a plurality of resistors; a transistor for generating the detection signal to indicate whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system, the transistor being coupled to the plurality of resistors; and a tristate buffer for receiving and transmitting the detection signal to the control means.
10. The portable computer system of claim 8 , further comprised of the detection means comprising: a plurality of resistors; a transistor for generating the detection signal to indicate whether the alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer system, the transistor being coupled to the plurality of resistors; and a microcontroller for receiving the detection signal and selectively generating an interrupt signal to the control means.
11. The portable computer system of claim 8 , further comprised of the control means comprising: an input/output (I/O) register for receiving switching data and outputting the switching data as the first control signal so as to selectively shut down and supply power to the universal serial bus (USB) port; a central processing unit (CPU) for generating an address and a control signal so as to write the switching data to the input/output (I/O) register in response to the detection signal; decoding means for enabling the detection means and generating a clock signal to the input/output (I/O) register in response to the address and the control signal from the central processing unit (CPU); and a universal serial bus (USB) controller for generating the second control signal in response to the over-current detection signal from the over-current detection means.
12. The portable computer system of claim 8 , further comprised of the over-current detection means comprising an over-current protection circuit for generating the over-current detection signal when the over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery.
13. The portable computer system of claim 8 , further comprised of the over-current detection means comprising an over-current protection device including a fuse for shutting down the power to the universal serial bus (USB) port, when the over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery.
14. A portable computer system, comprising: a universal serial bus (USB) port that is selectively supplied power from any one of an alternating current (AC) adapter and a battery; storing means for storing one of an enabled state and a disabled state as a state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; over-current detection means for any one of generating an over-current detection signal and shutting down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port when detecting an over-current from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery; control means for generating a first control signal in response to the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port and generating a second control signal in response to the over-current detection signal, so as to selectively supply power and shut down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port; and switching means for selectively supplying power and shutting down the power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to any one of the first control signal and the second control signal.
15. The portable computer system of claim 14 , further comprised of the storing means including a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) random access memory (RAM).
16. The portable computer system of claim 14 , further comprised of the control means comprising: an input/output (I/O) register for receiving switching data and outputting the switching data as the first control signal so as to selectively shut down and supply power to the universal serial bus (USB) port; a central processing unit (CPU) for generating an address and control signals so as to read out the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port from the storing means and write the switching data to the input/output (I/O) register in response to the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; decoding means for generating a clock signal to the input/output (I/O) register and generating a control signal for reading out from the storing means the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to the address and the control signals from the central processing unit (CPU); and a universal serial bus (USB) controller for generating the second control signal in response to the over-current detection signal from the over-current detection means.
17. The portable computer system of claim 14 , further comprised of the over-current detection means comprising an over-current protection circuit for generating the over-current detection signal when the over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery.
18. The portable computer system of claim 14 , further comprised of the over-current detection means including a fuse as an over-current protection device for shutting down the power to the universal serial bus (USB) port when the over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and the battery.
19. A method for controlling power supplied to a universal serial bus (USB) port of a portable computer, comprising the steps of: determining whether an alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer for supplying power; reading out one of an enabled state and a disabled state as a state of the universal serial bus (USB) port from a storing means that stores the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; generating a first control signal for selectively shutting down and supplying power to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to a result of the determining step and the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; generating a second control signal when an over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and a battery so as to selectively shut down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port; and switching selectively between supplying power and shutting down the power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to any one of the first control signal and the second control signal.
20. A method for controlling power supplied to a universal serial bus (USB) port of a portable computer, comprising the steps of: determining whether an alternating current (AC) adapter is connected to the portable computer for supplying power; generating a first control signal for selectively shutting down and supplying power to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to a result of the determining step; generating a second control signal when an over-current is detected from any one of the alternating current (AC) adapter and a battery so as to selectively shut down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port; and switching selectively between supplying power and shutting down the power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to any one of the first control signal and the second control signal.
21. A method for controlling power supplied to a universal serial bus (USB) port of a portable computer, comprising the steps of: reading out one of an enabled state and a disabled state as a state of the universal serial bus (USB) port from a storing means that stores the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; generating a first control signal for selectively shutting down and supplying power to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to the state of the universal serial bus (USB) port; generating a second control signal when an over-current is detected from any one of an alternating current (AC) adapter and a battery so as to selectively shut down power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port; and switching selectively between supplying power and shutting down the power supplied to the universal serial bus (USB) port in response to any one of the first control signal and the second control signal.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 23, 1999
February 4, 2003
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.